Kandima Maldives sponsors contemporary local art exhibition

Kandima Maldives has signed up as the main sponsor of upcoming contemporary art exhibition, Unveiling Visions.

Held at the National Art Gallery in capital Male between September 3-7 by local NGO Maldivian Artist Community (MAC), the exhibition will feature works by 50 Maldivian artists of ages 18-35, under six main categories: painting, drawing, calligraphy art, 3d installation, digital installation and sculpture. Unveiling Visions, which was launched in 2017, will offer live art sessions, workshops, artist talks and fun-filled events for children.

Kandima will invite the top 15 artists to participate in its annual KULA Art Festival to be held on December 28. The festival is a perfect marketing platform for showcasing the Maldivian talent to the international audience and will be held for the second time since the resort opening in 2017. All of the inspiring art pieces created during the event will be available for purchase at the in-house KULA Art Studio.

The KULA art initiative was launched on October 5, 2017, with a vision to promote and nurture local artistic talent and creativity and essentially open up new horizons for the local art community.

As the key component of the initiative, the KULA Art Festival is the first of its kind annual event to be hosted in any resort in the island nation at such a large scale, turning the entire resort into the trendiest, most happening art centre in the Indian Ocean. Every year, Kandima invites over 20 local artists specialising in various mediums, including digital, coffee, acrylic, henna, spray paint and local crafts, to unleash their inner Picasso.

KULA means ‘colours’ in local Dhivehi language. Kandima hosts regular exhibitions and exciting art performances by local artists in the in-house Aroma Art Studio, which is set on the edge of a natural lake within the island. The venue gives both guests and artists the inspiration and calm space they need to create their masterpieces.

Kandima donates USD 1 from each room night to its non-profit KULA Art Fund. The main goal of the fund is to promote, support and create more opportunities for local artists.

“We want to create extraordinary and innovative experiences for our guests which in turn will positively impact our local communities. This seems like the perfect match. There are hundreds of talented artists that come from the local Maldivian islands, but their work is not seen or appreciated because they do not have a platform to showcase their talent across,” Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz, Deputy Director for Digital Marketing and Social Media at Kandima who leads the KULA initiative, was quoted in a statement, as saying.

“Thus, it is our vision to change that. We want KULA initiative to promote and nurture local artistic talent and essentially open up new horizons for the local art community like never before.”

Located on a lush tropical island in Dhaalu Atoll, Kandima offers a choice of 272 stylishly designed studios and villas, with 11 different categories to choose from, all of which have a private terrace and endless tropical views to enjoy.

The four-star plus resort, which opened early this year, has first class infrastructure, boasting the largest pool in the Maldives, tennis courts, an art studio, a marine biology school, a kids club, a game room, a library, a gym, a yoga studio and a spa. There is plenty to keep everyone occupied and the array of activities and events on offer is endless, including a huge choice of watersports, diving or snorkelling near the house reef, yoga, Zumba, bicycles, beach volleyball, petanque, arts and crafts lessons, and much more.

The island also offers one of the largest selection of F&B outlets in the country, with an incredible choice of ten restaurants and bars, all featuring unique and individual menus offering flavours of the world from Chinese and Japanese to authentic Maldivian and Mediterranean. So be it tropical or traditional, Kandima has something to suit everyone’s tastes.